Leadership

Sami’s absolute passion is providing care to stroke patients and educating others about stroke care. He has a particular interest in acute ischemic stroke management. He is a vascular neurologist, and a current Neuro-Endovascular Surgery fellow at MUSC. Over the past few years, he has been working on better understanding the challenges associated with mechanical thrombectomy such as cases of intracranial athersclerosis and patients with mild stroke symptoms with LVO. Additionally, he has focused on identifying potential methods to improve Door to Needle time and Door In Door Out over telestroke.

PGY Year: 7
Undergraduate: Auburn University
Medical School: University of Miami
Clinical Interest: Spine, Endovascular, Peripheral Nerve
Why you chose MUSC:  During my sub-I at MUSC I really respected the strong clinical skills that were present. The residents tackled a busy service with ease and displayed a great amount of competence. The relationship between the faculty and residents was truly special.
Special Interest or what you enjoy doing outside of the hospital: Running, playing Tennis. Exploring the food scene in Charleston. Battery Soccer games. 

Certifications: ABPN – Neurology, UCNS – Neurocritical Care
Residency: Neurology at University of Alabama at Birmingham
Fellowship: Neurocritical Care at University of Pennsylvania
Interests: Neurotrauma, Multimodal Monitoring

Dr. Lindhorst received his Bachelor of Science in microbiology, with a minor in chemistry, from the University of Florida, followed by his Medical Degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine followed by a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. He also completed a fellowship in neuro-oncology at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Lindhorst received clinical trials training at Massachusetts General Hospital, focusing on patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He is board-certified in general internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is also board-certified in neuro-oncology by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. His practice focuses on patients with primary and metastatic malignancies of the central nervous system. This includes, in particular, CNS lymphomas, gliomas, and meningiomas. The practice also treats patients with brain metastases. Dr. Lindhorst runs numerous clinical trials for these patients, aiding in the growing need for new cancer treatments.

Dr. Brandon A. Miller is Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Medical University of South Carolina. His undergraduate research was focused on cerebral ischemia and preconditioning in the laboratory of Dr. Jeff Gidday and Dr. T.S. Park at Washington University in St. Louis. He obtained his MD and PhD at The Ohio State University where we worked with Dr. Jacqueline Bresnahan and Dr. Michael Beattie studying white matter injury in the context of spinal cord injury. During his residency at Emory University, Dr. Miller received an NIH fellowship to study inflammation after subarachnoid hemorrhage and then returned to Washington University for his pediatric neurosurgery fellowship where he developed an interest in intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and hydrocephalus. Dr. Miller’s independent research career has focused on the microglial response to IVH, and strategies to modify microglial activation state to improve IVH outcomes. Dr. Miller takes great pride in supporting the career development of students and junior faculty members.

Certifications: ABPN - Neurology, and UCNS Eligible Certification for Neurocritical Care
Residency: Neurology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine
Fellowship: Neurocritical Care at the Medical University of South Carolina
Interests: Status Epilepticus and PRES

Brain & Spine Tumor Program, Comprehensive Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center, Gamma Knife Center, Spine Center

Dr. Sunil Patel is board certified in neurological surgery, with additional fellowship training in skull base surgery, cerebrovascular surgery, and microneurosurgery. He has been in practice for over 20 years and is currently the chair of neurosurgery at MUSC. He has special expertise in minimally invasive neurosurgery of the brain and spine and endoscopic spine surgery.

Dr. Sean Pennetti is board-certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with a clinical focus on neuro-oncology, and is separately certified in neuro-oncology by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. Dr. Pennetti grew up in Media, Pennsylvania, and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Penn State University in 2010. He then completed a Master of Science in Pharmacology at Tulane University in New Orleans in 2012. He received his Doctor of Medicine (MD) from The Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Afterward, he completed his residency in neurology at Swedish Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Pennetti completed his Fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Yale University in 2025.

Dr. Nathan Rowland received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Emory University. He completed his internship in general surgery and residency in neurological surgery at University of California, San Francisco. He pursued additional fellowship training in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. His clinical interests include Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, as well as psychiatric disorders such as treatment resistant depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anorexia. Additionally, he is interested in degenerative spinal disorders, neuro-trauma, and neuro-oncology. Dr. Rowland has a strong research interest in brain circuit disorders amenable to deep brain stimulation and other advanced neuromodulation techniques. In addition to his Ph.D. training, he has experience in conducting translational research projects focused on patients with movement and psychiatric disorders.

Residency: UCSF
Fellowship: Functional Neurosurgery at University of Toronto
Interests: Functional Neurosurgery, Neuromodulation, Motor Control Physiology

Neurosurgery Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Brain & Spine Tumor Program, Movement Disorders Program

Certifications: ABPN – Neurology, Neurocritical Care, UCNS – Neurocritical Care
Residency: Neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina
Fellowship: Neurocritical Care at the Medical University of South Carolina
Interests: Survivorship Outreach, Acute Resuscitation and Shock, Refractory Status Epilepticus, Traumatic Brain Injury, Coma and Disorders of Consciousness

I am a neurosurgeon-scientist with a keen interest in the molecular underpinnings responsible for the malignant transformation of meningioma. My goal is to synergize my clinical practice with laboratory investigations towards the development of precise immunotherapies to combat this highly prevalent, yet understudied tumor.

Certifications: ABPN – Neurology, Neurocritical Care, ASN – Registered Physician in Neurovascular Interpretation 
Residency: Neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina
Fellowship: Neurocritical Care at Emory University
Interests: Medical Education, Neurovascular Ultrasound, and Subarachnoid Hemorrhages

Residency: University of Linkoping, Karolinska Hospital
Fellowship: Functional Neurosurgery at University of Toronto and University of Arizona
Interests: Functional Neurosurgery

Meredith obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta in Canada. She then moved to South Africa and completed her MS in anatomy at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2007. Meredith has worked at MUSC since 2008 and is the manager of the clinical research program in the Department of Neurosurgery. She is one of the research coordinators for STAR. 

Dr. Miriam Zamorano earned her PhD degree at the Neurobiology Research Institute of the National University of Mexico (UNAM) and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She has been working alongside Dr. Miller creating models of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) to test treatments for neonatal brain injury. Dr. Zamorano's research is focused on investigating the cellular components that underlie the inflammatory process after IVH and how brain circuity is affected by IVH.

Winnie received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience with a Computer Science minor from Wellesley College. As an undergraduate researcher in the Marshall lab, she investigated the relationship between CK2 and extrasynaptic NR2B in Alzheimer's Disease, evaluating in vivo tau pathology models to recapitulate findings from in vitro studies

Driven by her passion for bridging healthcare and technology, Winnie has pursued diverse research experiences at the intersection of these fields. She worked as a software engineering intern at Orbita, a healthcare technology company, where she developed a full-stack application integrated within their chat box engine. In Dr. Flanigan's lab at MUSC, she supported ongoing projects focused on machine learning approaches to quantifying behavioral data.

In the Miller lab, Winnie conducts cellular and molecular research including western blots, DNA isolation, mitochondrial assays to further understand the mechanisms underlying intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Her work contributes to the lab's mission of advancing translational IVH research.

Outside of the lab she enjoys reading, long walks, and spending time with friends and family. She plans to apply to M.D. / Ph.D. programs next year.